[News Terms] 'Architecture's Nobel Prize' Pritzker Prize: Japan Leads with 9 Recipients

The Pritzker Architecture Prize, often called the "Nobel Prize of Architecture," is awarded annually to a living architect who has made significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture. It was established in 1979 by Jay Pritzker, chairman of the Hyatt hotel chain, and his wife Cindy Pritzker. The Hyatt Foundation manages the prize. The operation and selection process of the award were modeled after the Nobel Prize. Nominations are accepted until the end of January each year. More than 500 candidates from about 40 countries are nominated annually. After a review process, the winner is selected by secret ballot. The award ceremony is held every May. The recipient receives a $100,000 prize and a bronze medal designed by architect Louis Sullivan.

Hiroshima Fire Department
[Photo by Pritzker Prize official website]

The first recipient was American architect Philip Johnson. Among Asian architects, Kenzo Tange from Japan was the first to win in 1987, and among women, Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid was the first to receive the prize in 2004. The first African recipient was Francis K?r? from Burkina Faso.

The country with the most recipients is Japan. To date, nine Japanese architects have been honored with the prize. They are followed by the United States (8 recipients), the United Kingdom (5 recipients), and France and Spain (4 recipients each).

This year’s laureate is also from Japan. The winner is Riken Yamamoto. Some of his architectural works are located in Korea, including Walden Hills Phase 2, a townhouse complex in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, and the Bogumjari Phase 3 apartment complex in Segok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. One of his representative works is the fire station in Hiroshima. The Pritzker Prize jury described Yamamoto as "an architect and social activist who connects the public and private realms to create a harmonious society."

Unfortunately, Korea has yet to produce a Pritzker Prize winner. In 2019, the government planned the "Next Pritzker Project," inspired by a Pritzker-winning project. It was a program to select 30 young architects and support them with up to 30 million won each to study advanced design techniques at overseas architectural firms. However, this initiative faced criticism for being outdated. Some also pointed out issues in Korea’s public architecture practices, noting that public architecture in Korea tends to focus on price competitiveness and flashy exteriors. Most socially meaningful buildings are public architecture.